In the News

Listening Intelligence: The Leadership Skill Hiding in Plain Sight RFL Academy Welcomed Dave Momper from Thrival Concepts on February 6, 2026 at the Basalt Regional Library. Pictured: Steve Vanderleest, Andrea Palm-Porter, Dave Momper If leadership is influence, then listening is its foundation. This month, RFL Academy participants spent the day with Dave Momper, diving into the science and practice of Listening Intelligence, a powerful framework that expands how leaders understand communication, conflict, and collaboration. At first glance, listening may seem simple. We do it every day. But as participants quickly discovered, hearing and listening are not the same thing. Listening Intelligence challenges [...]

This winter, Roaring Fork Leadership (RFL) welcomed a full cohort of 14 women into the newly upgraded RFL Mastermind program—a milestone moment that reflects both the strength of the curriculum and the hunger for leadership spaces designed by and for women in our region. The Mastermind experience brings together women from across the Roaring Fork and Colorado River Valleys—Aspen to Rifle—representing public service, healthcare, education, hospitality, banking, design, housing, transportation, nonprofit leadership, and beyond. While their professional paths vary widely, what connects this group runs much deeper than job titles. Many Paths, One Shared Intention This cohort includes women who: Lead teams in city and county government Manage healthcare systems and emergency response Shape [...]

A new year often brings reflection: How do I want to grow as a leader? Where can I contribute my skills in a meaningful way? How can I stay connected to my community? At Roaring Fork Leadership, we believe leadership is not about titles - it’s about participation, service, and showing up with intention. As we begin the year ahead, we are inviting community members to consider joining RFL as a Board Director or Committee Member. Serving in a leadership role with RFL is an opportunity to help shape the future of leadership development across the Roaring Fork and Colorado River [...]

Susannah Lickus graduated from the Roaring Fork Leadership Academy in May 2025. Just months later, she made a bold decision to step away from her job, shoulder a backpack, and follow a deep inner calling - one that led her across the Colorado Trail and into the Himalayas of Nepal. We recently caught up with Susannah to reflect on her journey, her Academy experience, and what she’s carrying forward into this next chapter. What are you up to now? Where are you living, and what’s next? After graduating from RFL in May 2025, I left my role at English in Action [...]

Strong nonprofit boards are essential to healthy, resilient communities - and this winter, community members can find two upcoming events designed to support individuals who are curious about board service, governance, and nonprofit leadership. Whether you’re exploring board service for the first time, looking to strengthen your governance skills, or interested in connecting with local nonprofits seeking new board members, these free community events offer accessible entry points into nonprofit leadership. Nonprofit Board Training Thursday, January 29 | 6:00–8:00 pm Glenwood Springs Branch Library This free training is open to anyone in the community who wants to learn more about what [...]

Because of this community’s generosity, Roaring Fork Leadership raised nearly $6,000 during this year’s Colorado Gives Day giving season. Every gift - large and small - directly supports leadership development, scholarship access, and the continued strength of our region’s nonprofit, business, and civic sectors. We are deeply grateful to everyone who gave, shared our campaign, or started a new recurring gift. Your belief in accessible leadership development makes a tangible difference for individuals and organizations across the Roaring Fork and Colorado River valleys. Your support matters now more than ever. Twenty-five percent of our Academy 2026 participants are receiving scholarship support, [...]

Civic Impact Project Highlight: Beyond Silos— Mapping Collaboration to Strengthen Belonging, Civic Capacity & Community Health One of this year’s most significant Roaring Fork Leadership’s Civic Impact Projects is Beyond Silos: Strengthening Nonprofit Collaboration for Greater Community Belonging, a partnership between two RFL Civic Impact Teams and project sponsor Andrea Palm-Porter and Angie Anderson, RFL Alum and President & CEO of the Glenwood Springs Chamber Resort Association. Angie and Andrea are also part of the Belonging Colorado Leadership Network Learning Cohort (where this idea and project was defined), positioning this work within a broader statewide effort to build connection, trust, and community resilience. [...]

The Belonging Gap: Why Connection Is Becoming the Core Leadership Skill "Increasing belonging across all settings is needed." Colorado Health Institute: https://www.coloradohealthinstitute.org/research/colorado-belonging-barometer In every program we run—from Academy to Mastermind to Elevate—one truth consistently emerges: leaders today are struggling more with connection than with competence. Across Colorado’s mountain and rural communities, leaders are managing more responsibilities with fewer resources. Many describe living in a constant state of time poverty—the chronic sense of having too much to do and not enough time to do it. Research out of UCLA calls time poverty one of today’s most pervasive emotional burdens, leaving people feeling [...]

At Roaring Fork Leadership, we believe that powerful things happen when people step forward with courage, compassion, and a commitment to community. That belief sits at the heart of everything we do, and Colorado Gives Day is your opportunity to ensure leadership development remains accessible to the people who make our region stronger. Colorado Gives Day is Tuesday, December 9, and early giving is already open. Early gifts unlock various matching funds made possible through the Colorado Gives Foundation, meaning your generosity can go even further. This year, we are once again participating in the recurring gift match: all new monthly [...]

Each year, RFL Academy participants step into real-world leadership learning through Civic Impact Projects - hands-on initiatives that strengthen our region while challenging participants to apply adaptive leadership, collaboration, and community-centered problem solving. With 34 participants divided into five teams, the Academy 2026 cohort selected their projects in October and has already begun working alongside local partners. This year’s four projects reflect some of the community’s most pressing challenges and opportunities: nonprofit collaboration, youth development, organizational sustainability, and support for children in crisis. Beyond Silos: Strengthening Nonprofit Collaboration for Greater Community Belonging Teams 1 & 3 With an estimated 300–600 nonprofits [...]